Parallel Plate Capacitor: Potential Difference vs. Spacing

Recommended for High School through College.

Introduction

A capacitor is defined as any two conductors, separated by an insulator where each conductor carries a net excess charge that is equal in magnitude and opposite in sign. Its capacitance, C, is defined as

where Q is the magnitude of the excess charge on each conductor and V is the voltage (or potential difference) across the plates.

We can use Gauss’ Law to analyze a parallel plate capacitor if we assume that most of the electric field lines are perpendicular to the plates. According to Gauss, if air is the insulator, the capacitance, C, is related to the area of the plates, A, and the spacing between them, d, by the equation

ε0 is known as the electric constant (or permittivity).

Objectives

In this activity, you will

Explore how the voltage (a.k.a. potential difference) across the plates varies as the distance between the charged plates increases.

Software for Experiment

This experiment uses Logger Pro software for video analysis. The video for analysis is included with the lab book.